1 comments about Art for the Fun of It: A Guide for Teaching Young Children.

1. As a beginning art educator I found this book to be extremely useful. It contains many tips for art room materials and practices that could only be learned through years of experience. Not only does Peggy Davison cover the very practical side of art education but also she explains many of the latest philosophies and strategies used in this area without the book becoming tedious reading. Any art educator, regular classroom teacher, or home-schooling parent would be wise to read this book if they are serious about the quality and efficiency of their art program. It is an easy and interesting read and one that will be referred to many times for information. This is a book I will keep handy in my classroom.

2 comments about The Andy Warhol Catalogue Raisonne Vol. 1: Paintings and Sculpture 1961-1963.

1. The main problem with this book is the layout of each page into three columns, thus all the pictures are quite small. So this is not a book to really enjoy the art. The text is also often far from essential, for example it contains relevant quotes from "The Andy Warhol diaries" or "Popism", which any Warhol fan will already have. It is worth remembering most of the original prints/paintings are measured in meters, so there is little satisfaction in looking at passport-photo sized pictures. "The Andy Warhol Catalogue Raisonne" is really only a reference book for art galleries or perhaps art collectors, and I'd recommend Warhol fans to stay away from this extremely expensive purchase, it contains zero enjoyment compared to leafing through the superb "Giant Warhol", where the appreciation of the immensity of Warhol's work can be much better appreciated.



2. WOW. This is a real work of research. The amount of detail and care that has gone into this study of Warhol's early paintings is not to be believed. The editors have compiled a completely staggering amount of information about each work shown here--and who knew there were so many original paintings?

   My only complaint is the book's design, which doesn't seem to have anything to do with Warhol's own aesthetic. The pictures are beautiful, but the words are tough on the eyes--the table of contents is especially awful. This is really a shame, because you can see pictures of Warhol paintings in lots of places. I don't know where you'd find all this wonderful data, though. (Put it on CD-ROM!)

   It's definitely an expensive book, but unmatched, as far as I can tell, in its field. Bravo!

No comments about Hopi Katsina: 1,600 Artist Biographies (American Indian Art Series).

3 comments about Greek Architecture, Fifth Edition (The Yale University Press Pelican History of Art).

1. This is one of the best books to study Greek architecture - not only architecture of temples but also other buildings. Good for archaeologists as well as for architects.



2. for any serious student of classical antiquity, lawrence's treatment of greek architecture is a must-read. it is a elegantly illustrated volume, full of plans, drawings and photographs. the text is well-written and easy to understand, even for a beginner to the field. I whole-heartedly recommend this volume to anyone who wants to have a look at greek architecture, beginner as well as expert. lawrence's book is nothing but brilliant. it is THE entryway into greek architecture.



3. Any archaeologist knows that the Lawrence is one of the best Greek architecture/archaeology reference books to own. Buy it if you have any interest whatsoever in the field.

No comments about Readings in Art History, Volume 2 (3rd Edition) (Readings in Art History).

No comments about Postmodern Ceramics.

3 comments about The Spirit of Butterflies: Myth, Magic, and Art.

1. Until I read this book I thought that only Nabokov could write about butterflies at such a level
   Maraleen, all my compliments brava!!



2. Every culture known to man throughout the rise and fall of civilizations, has carried a myth or symbol about the butterfly. Evidence of this includes the myth of Eros and Psyche, ancient Mycenean gold relics, wall ornaments of Teotihuacan in Mexico, the Japanese paintings, the Native American legend. This book captures the collective ethos of this powerful universal symbol well. It is well-illustrated.
   
   So, what does all of this mean? Why is it such a recurring and powerful symbol in the collective psyche?
   
   The spirit of the butterfly is the transformative symbol of the regeneration of love which can fly. Love gives you the wings to fly, to be free. This notion of the beauty of love with its gossamer wings, is something that is more precious than anything, for it allows one's heart to open within it where the seed may be born to flower. This flower may blossom fully into joy beyond one's own conscious power to imagine. The seed that may open up and spring up within one's heart can be a form of transformation that does last forever. This is a form of one's own opening to a current within one's own being, a current that can magnetize others when it is fully open. That power to magnetize is something that we are all born with, but that few seldom realize because they are not open to their own feeling in their heart of being free and at one with others.
   
   That is what this book is about and why it is meaningful in capturing the essence of a universal symbol.



3. This book succeeds both as a tremendous joy for the general reader and a serious treatment of its subject. It is perhaps the best, maybe the only, book on the market right now treating its subject well and completely. Exceeding the breadth of its title, the book actually treats the cultural significance of butterflies throughout history. This is no small feat. Butterflies have been taken by many cultures to inculcate hope, rebirth, transformation and transcendence, matters at the heart of mankind's internal concern for many millennia. Despite its masterful photography and copious illustrations, Ms. Manos-Jones's production immediately belies any notion that it is simply a "coffee table book". The chapter titles well illustrate the book's topical landscape-- for example "The Sacred Butterfly", "The Artful Butterfly", "The Verbal Butterfly", [famous] "Butterfly People", and so on. By the time you've gotten through each of the ten chapters, be you butterfly buff or butterfly scholar, you will probably be surprised that, concerning this topic, you "didn't know the half of it". It is important to point out that Ms. Manos-Jones brings to this book a well-informed knowledge both of butterflies and world environmental issues. In life, she wears another hat-- as an environmentalist associated with the important Michoacan Reforestation Fund-- a premier conservation group working to protect Monarch butterfly overwintering habitats in Mexico. Given these credentials, the book is a really wedding of Ms. Manos-Jones' professional level expertise on conservation and the pure love of her subject-- butterflies. This book can be recommended wholeheartedly to the general reader and the informed butterfly enthusiast alike. I imagine that a few scholars and historians will want to dig into it as well.

2 comments about Introduction to Design and Analysis: A Student's Handbook (A Series of Books in Psychology).

1. The book was in the exact shape that I was expecting. I was very happy with this seller's very prompt delivery. I was also happy with the accurate description of the item. I would definitley buy another item from this seller. Thank you.



2. I had to buy this book as a Psychology undergrad for a Stats course. Ten years and two degrees later, I'm still using it as my standard reference.

3 comments about Seeing Through Paintings: Physical Examination in Art Historical Studies.

1. I recommend this book often to art historians and collectors so that they can understand how the materials of a painting, e.g. canvas vs. wood, oil vs. tempera, etc. affect the look of the painting, how paintings change with age (become more transparent, fade, how varnish darkens), and how conservators also may change the look of paintings by conservation treatments. The chapters provide a useful history of materials of Western art, describing the support, grounds, paint films, and coatings. The book tells in clear language what you learn from x-radiographs and examination with ultra-violet light, how to tell that separated panels come from the same altarpiece, or how to recognize if a painting has been cut down or repainted. It was written by an art historian and a conservator working together and should appeal to both groups. Excellent illustrations and information about many well-known artists.



2. This book provides case studies and clearly presented themes to unveil paintings from "the inside out". Well illustrated and organized, concise.



3. Yeah, I ordered two books at the same time, one from amazon and one from this seller. This seller provided the best service. While Amazon's order was delayed and frought with difficulty the transaction with this seller was quick and efficient.

2 comments about Sargent's Women.

1. What a painter! What a life! This is an excellent book! Whether you are a painter (I am) or a lover of incredibly vivid and excellently anatomically correct figures, painted with all the dash of a virtuoso artist of the first magnitude, Sargent is the man, and this is a good starter book for enjoying his work at a bargain basement price.
   
   Between the mid-Victorian era through the art deco era, Sargent followed a different drummer. He was and was not a part of impressionism, he was and was not a part of a softened version of dramatic Romanticism, he was and was not the leading exponent of splashing color and slashing, bold brush strokes, ala, Brangwyn and Sorolla. His art sang above the heads of the poor meager critics, who ignored his brilliant brush work and perfect atmospheric perfection and the delightfully lovely women he painted and the sensual and alluring Décolletage his talent dispalyed so alluringly, only to say he was a painter of portraits which highly flattered his clients.
   
   In his era and still, only a few were even close to his giftedness. The names of the critics who Gossiped about his romaticizing and flattering his clients, by adding beauty they did not possess, and pandering to the wealthiest of the wealthy-presidents, Courtesans, famous beauties, actresses, billionaires and their gorgeous wives and daughters, Sargent was the portrait artist of the upper classes, but his masterful control of quick slashing, bold brush stroke, brilliant light and colorful scenes, as well as his fluid handling of fabrics, like satin, silk, velvet, were unmatched save for Boldini. Buy it if you love brilliant art work at a bargain price. You won't regret it.



2. I couldn't believe my eyes that Adelson Galleries has done an excellent job in displaying the portraits and sketches of the women Sargent painted throughout his life. They are breathtaking and pleasant to behold!
   
   Sargent is one of several artists who truly love women and the way they look. He paint them as they are and didn't flatter them with false ideas of beauty. He broke the conventional mode of beauty by painting them as they are and took in account their personalities, lifestyles, and climates. His works included many women of color as well as upper class British, French, and American women and those in between. His paintings of his mother and sisters were well-done and documented. He's one guy who loves women the way they are.
   
   This book contains many never before seen paintings of Capri, Spanish, Gypsy, and Venetian women, the women of his family, Madame Gautreau(Madame X, as she is known today), etc.
   
   Here's my take on some of the ladies Sargent painted:
   
   Judith Gautier: A muse and an art fanatic like her friend JSS and composer Richard Wagner's best friend and more. She's a true bohemian in my honest opinion.
   
   Violet Sargent: His favorite younger sister. He painted her throughout her life since she was little.
   
   Madame Amelie Gautreau(Madame X): His desire to paint the lady led to controversy that resulted in her ostracism and his exile from Paris for life. He left a portrait of a very sophisticated woman in a black gown.
   
   Rosina Ferrara: His ultimate Capri dream girl, his inspiration! I could easily picture Chilli from the hip hop girl group TLC as Rosina and Rosina Ferrara of 19th Century Capri as Chilli. They both exotic beauties 100 years apart. Both of them bear uncanny resemblance to one another as well. Well, in some of Sargent's paintings, but not all.
   
   Please get this book, it's excellent in its presentation of inspiring and interesting women he painted during his artistic career. Let's give Sargent his props by doing so.